How To Know If A Doctorate In Nursing Is A Good Choice For You

shutterstock 133714364

The Doctor of Nursing Practice or DNP is a clinically-focused terminal degree that teaches related topics about health care administration and patient care to help graduates and professionals become leaders in their organizations.

Numerous growth opportunities and a wide array of career options are available when you take a degree in nursing, and taking it a much higher level by getting a DNP in universities, like Bradley University, could be a good choice for you.

Here are some signs that DNP is right for you:

1. You want to increase your career opportunities

Since DNP allows students to look at healthcare from a top-level clinical perspective and is a terminal degree, graduates will have a broader option in their career. It can qualify you to various positions, especially in executive levels and high-level administration, which aren’t available to those who only have BSN degrees or an Associate Degree in nursing. So, if you want to push your career to further heights, then taking a DNP can be of big help for you.

It can provide you with knowledge and skills in pursuing an administrative or academic role, and clinical leadership. When you’ve completed a DNP degree, you can pursue these common nursing careers, which take place in different healthcare settings:

  • Chief Nursing Officer
  • Midwife
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Anesthetist
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Nurse Educator
  • Nurse Director or Manager

These positions can equip graduates with opportunities to make an impact on the future of healthcare positively by creating unique paths toward better patient outcomes.

2.  You want to educate future nurses

Nurses of the future generation should be quick to react and think, be proficient at adapting to different practice settings and situations, and be clinically competent. For them to become those kind of nurses, a well-experienced nurse should be there to educate them and to be a perfect example when thinking critically.

If you’re aspiring to be one of those experienced nurses who wants to make a difference and expand their knowledge and skills to educate or mold the next generation, then getting a Doctorate of  Nursing Practice degree is a good choice for you.  

3. You want to be updated on clinical trends

If providing the best patient care is one of your goals as a nurse, then taking a DNP can be a great way to stay updated.  

As science progresses everyday, best practices and technological advancements in the clinical setting are continuously evolving as well. The field of health care, especially nursing, are rapidly changing. It can have a great impact on the outcome and treatment of patients so being updated with the latest developments are important. 

DNP will be specifically based on exploring evidence, such as research utilization and theories related to it. This will allow you to understand the decision-making and planning process about clinical practices. 

4. You want to learn new skill sets

This degree program typically concentrates in adult gerontology, pediatrics, and women’s health, which  can help you further understand a specific part of healthcare. To excel in your specialized field, learning new skill sets are needed. Other than that, getting this degree can also help you make a difference with others and yourself by:

  • Improving tenure in academics
  • Addressing if there’s a nursing shortage
  • Becoming a critical thinker, which is important in the field of nursing
  • Developing new leaders in the nursing industry
  • Educating others about advanced nursing practices
  • Improving clinical practices  

5. You want better salary rewards

Advanced degrees might require you with a huge amount of financial resources, time, and energy, but it will be all worth it when it’s done. Since you can get higher-level job positions when you have a degree in DNP, you’ll possibly get a higher salary rate than undergraduates. In line with this is a much bigger responsibility for you, but of course, the tasks will have a better compensation in return. 

For example, according to Payscale, the average salary of an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner is 105,800 USD, while a Nurse Practitioner earns 98,400 USD per annum. So, if you want to increase your salary, and not just your skills and career, taking a DNP course can have great benefits. 

Conclusion

A nursing career can be a great advantage for you, professionally and personally. But taking it to a much higher level can benefit you more. It can help you make an impact not just on patients and yourself, but you can also create a big impact on the next generation of nurses. 

6fcc9160ac4f058b556da59ebc72fd39?s=150&d=mp&r=g
casciato@hotmail.com | + posts